Stockholm Canal Cruises: Royal Canal, Djurgården Loop or the Long Bridges Route?
4 min read
These three canal cruises in Stockholm differ less in what you see than in how long they take and who talks to you. Two of them are about an hour around Djurgården, the royal park island; the third is a long cruise through the whole city, including a lock. They are not the same as the archipelago cruises, which leave the city and head out to the islands.
The one-hour loop with audio guide
The City Center Canal Cruise costs €25 per person, is rated 4.1 out of 5 and has 1,283 reviews. It lasts 1 hour. The page lists the route as Gamla Stan, the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Strandvägen, the Vasa Museum, the Djurgårdsbrunn Canal and the Royal National City Park, and the boat returns along the main shipping route. Commentary comes from an audio guide with earphones; the page lists up to fourteen languages in its description and ten in the practical notes, so check yours. Food and drinks are on sale in the on-board café. Alcohol and drugs are not allowed. Children up to 5 years travel free with a paying adult.
The boat leaves from the Gustav III statue at Skeppsbrokajen. Look for the “Red Sightseeing” booth and the “Tours & Tickets” sign, and check in 5 minutes before departure.
The Royal Canal tour with a live guide
The Original Royal Canal Boat Tour with Live Guide costs €17.87 per person, is rated 4.2 out of 5 and has 716 reviews. It runs by Strömma around Djurgården and through the Djurgårdsbrunn Canal, which the page also calls the Royal Canal, with live commentary in English. The duration field says 50 minutes and the description says an hour, so allow an hour. The boat has Wi-Fi, a toilet, and a café and bar. The page says a limited number of seats are outside, at the back of the boat, so in cold weather do not count on a seat in the open air.
Meeting point: Strömma biljetter, Södra Blasieholmshamnen 11. On access, the page lists wheelchair users as not suited, noting that a wheelchair can be left on the quay, where staff lock and cover it, and that a few steps lead into the boat.
The long cruise under 12 bridges
The Ultimate City Highlights Boat Tour costs €26.21 per person, is rated 4.2 out of 5 and has 3,030 reviews. It lasts 135 minutes, with live guiding in English, and the page says it goes under 12 bridges and through the lock between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The route passes the Old Town, Södermalm, Lilla and Stora Essingen, Hammarby Sjöstad and Djurgården. It starts at the same Strömma meeting point, Södra Blasieholmshamnen 11. Toilets, a café and outside seating are on board. One boat on this tour can take manual wheelchairs over a ramp whose slope depends on the water level; electric wheelchairs cannot come aboard, and strollers must stay on the quay. Ask the operator about your departure.
Which to choose
- One hour on your first day, with an audio guide in your own language: the City Center Canal Cruise.
- You want someone to answer questions, in English: the Royal Canal tour with live guide.
- You want to see more of the city than the centre, and have two hours and a quarter: the long bridges route.
Weather matters as much as the choice of tour, because outside seats are limited. Starting times are shown by date on each booking page, and all three offer free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. If you also plan museums on Djurgården, the City Center Canal Cruise passes the Vasa Museum and ABBA The Museum, according to its page, and our comparison of hop-on hop-off bus, boat and Stockholm Pass shows another way of travelling between them. All boat tours are on our page for archipelago and boat cruises.
